Camel

That being said, I can share/link my original build on this thread if anyone is still interested! Even before the changes I had a fully slotted/functional Shadow Maul, I just didn’t use it frequently because of its tiny cone.

Bummer, looks like my original build is going to be superior then. Hopefully they do reconsider more reworks for Dark Melee in the future. The change to Shadow Maul is nice, but not enough. Still think Dark/Shield/Blaze is one of the best builds for a Dark Melee character 😛 I’m hoping they didn’t ‘scrap’ (lol) the changes because of the community’s input. I really think they were on to something when they tried to reimagine Dark Consumption.

Dm/Ice, DM/Fire, DM/Radiation, DM/Dark and DM/Shield are all great combos. I would recommend any of those. You won’t be disappointed! DM/Anything is pretty good!

I sort of see that. You can still manipulate the AI of your pets/enemies to make it impactful. I would say it’s still 50/50. Sometimes my Phantasm and Toxic Tarantula would die very quickly and their DPS wasn’t that impactful, but oftentimes I could manipulate the game to keep the pets alive and the DPS was phenomenal. Aside from the whacky AI, stacking multiple -res abilities makes your unkillable Phantom Army hit like a truck!

If you want an AV killer, you’ll want to take Mace Mastery for Poisonous Ray and Toxic Tarantula. The -res and procability of Poisonous Ray is phenomenal and the extra pet adds a lot of DPS. I’d share my build but I’m going on vacation and all my builds are on my desktop. I do remember all the IOs and slotting, so I could potentially build it for you 😛

Nice, I can almost say the same about my Dark/Shield Scrapper. But on +4 ITFs it can get hairy if they get a few pot shots on me in a row. Especially when the Kheldians ignore aggro cap and dogpile you. Still rarely dies though. 😅

I’m not as great as a numbers person as some of you are in the community, but I have a very good natural understanding of this game and what “feels” right. I think giving DE a ceiling that is only slightly higher than Shield Charge would be ideal. Maybe 10-15% more damage than SC under the right conditions? Either that, or just give it a base damage that is almost on par with the other melee nukes while still maintaining its utility as an end management power. Even at +4, DE should hit for at least 275-300 damage consistently under full stacks of Soul Drain.

How much DDR does Super Reflexes have? Because my Shield Scrapper has over 70% with double stacked Active Defenses.

I tried a +4x8 Fire Farm on my DM/Shield/Blaze Scrapper with a new build that optimized the changes. Cleared the entire map in about 4:40. Pretty impressive time. My Rad/Fire Brute clears it about 30-60 seconds faster.

DC in its initial form was too powerful, or rather, had the potential to be too powerful. It was a PBAoE power with a less than 20 second recharge that could be more powerful than a Blasters nuke, and at a lower recharge. Again, that was not happening every mob, or to every enemy in the mob. But the damage it was pumping out was utterly ridiculous at times. But that’s the issue with having a power scale it’s damage based on multiple factors. I personally think the only aspect of the power that needs balancing is how the damage scales. Because outside of that window, where your damage potential is at its highest, it’s actually a pretty well balanced power!

Not sure if anyone else feels this way.. but can we keep the name the same? And change the name of the APP and EPP Dark Consumptions? Dark Equilibrium sounds... off. Gives me more of a toggle/auto power buff kind of vibe and not something that deals respectable damage. I’d love for the name to stay the same, or maybe change it to something more... sinister. Devour? Consume Souls?

I’m confused now. Did you think the proc from Critical Strikes increased the crit chance only for that power?

Sounds like you didn’t test it at all. While I agree that the damage needs to be a tad higher than what they changed it to, the power is MUCH better across the board.

I really do think the heal proc is the way to go. I’m speed running TFs right now on my Dark/Shield and can confirm that in a Smite, Midnight Grasp, Smite, Siphon Life attack chain that the proc can activate twice in that chain. Smite (proc activates) Midnight Grasp, Smite (proc activates again) I would highly reccomend at least slotting the heal proc. And then slotting DC however you see fit. I’ve slotted the strikes proc in long recharge powers and it’s so aggravating when it doesn’t proc. Because then you have almost a full minute where the proc is not in play. But with the proc in powers like Smite, Siphon Life or Midnight Grasp, you have the potential to have a considerate amount of uptime. I’ve had chains happen where I’m under the 50% proc for almost 15 seconds straight. It’s whacky. But to each their own. I’m just Uber pumped that my favorite build has gotten new life. As you are too!

On a side note. Who’s in favor of me embodying the man, the myth, the legend.... Ole Derp? This thread has me thinking I may be the only one capable of carrying on his legacy.

In terms of sustained, raw DPS TW would win, for sure. The AoE burst potential is unreal on DM/Shield and the two sets combined offer a total package. I only have extensive experience with DM/Shield though. All I know is Soul Drain + Dark Consumption + Shield Charge + Fireball is whacky. And at + 0 there is a small chance that you can kill an entire mob, bosses included, with only Soul Drain and Dark Consumption. I managed to do it once on the wall in Cimerora. Had to do a double take, but the boss was hit for 2,400, I repeat, 2,400 damage from Dark Consumption. Blew my mind. And it recharges in 18-20 seconds? To be fair, I did pop a blue inspire to make sure I was at 100% endurance.

It’s amazing. On my Dark/Shield Scrapper it heals for 73 HP, when surrounded by mobs I’ve seen it proc 5-8 times.

When I have access to a computer with my files on it I will do that!

I can see the merit for having a full set of Strikes in DC. The proc would have a very high chance to activate and you could control when you wanted the higher crit chance. DC on the build I posted on the Scrapper forums recharges in 22 seconds, 18 seconds if I proc Force Feedback. In that time, I can rotate through my attack chain several times and have the same proc activate at least once, sometimes twice. I have a full set of Strikes in Smite and have definitely seen it go off more than once in a 22 second window. The values for damage would be about 15% higher than the slotting I used for DC, but you’d lose out on a lot of utility in endurance recovery and a heal. One thing to note about slotting Stikes in DC is that if it didn’t proc, you’d have a 40+ second window in which the Strikes proc didn’t activate. In that case, slotting it in a power like Smite is a much better option because the proc would activate 2-4 times or more in that 40+ second window.

I actually one shot the boss in this example! 😅

Did I start a thread within a thread? 😂

The chance to heal proc from Power Transfer is too good in DC. Strikes is probably better for pure offense though. But it’s hard to pass on turning DC into a 500+ heal when surrounded by mobs.

Both are going to be phenomenal after the changes. I have a hunch that Dark Consumption is going to be re-balanced. The numbers I've been seeing have the potential to be too high under the right conditions. But sometimes it also doesn't hit incredibly hard. I've seen damage numbers fluctuate between 400-2,400 depending on the situation. SR is easier to build, and you don't have to compromise for slots to get to soft-cap defense. But /Shield has more potential. I would say both if you have the time/resources. But I know you will not be disappointed with a well built Dark/Shield.

Check the screenshots I posted. Hit a level 50 Praefectus Castrorum for over 2,400 damage with it.

2,129 with all the +HP Accolades. 1,861 without.